Don't make me frog it. You won't like me when I frog it.

My 100th post! Time for some wonderful washcloths then…

Somehow I have arrived at my 100th blog post! That seemed to come around surprisingly fast, so I scrolled through and counted each one, and yes this does make no. 100! Although, in looking back at some of the earliest ones, I’ve noticed what constitutes a post has changed quite a lot.

Really for my 100th post I should have something spectacular to show you, but instead I have these humble little knitted washcloths!

I’ve not done many things involving short rows before, and never something that required sewing up to make it circular, so it was nice to try something new. I found the pattern on Ravelry (of course!) and it seems to be from a now defunct website called Dishcloth Boutique. Fortunately there is an archived version that is still accessible with the full written instructions. The pattern is called The Cotton Dishcloth (once removed or dressed up)and is written by Marion Torgerson.

The pattern is actually surprisingly easy to memorise, considering it’s a twenty row repeat, and I was no longer having to refer to the instructions after I’d completed my first cloth. I used 4.5 mm needles and Lily’s Sugar n Cream yarn (from my stash – aren’t I good?), which produced a soft squishy fabric of just the right density.

Although the pattern says it’s for a dishcloth, I use these as washcloths when I shower. When I started using handmade washcloths instead of shop bought sponges and loofahs I knew I could never go back! Handmade ones look and feel so much nicer on my skin, and I think being able to throw them in the wash makes them much more hygienic than the majority of the commercial alternatives, and unlike toweling facecloths, they stay soft no matter how many times you use or launder them, and never go all thin and scratchy.

I love making things that are useful as well as nice to look at, and as there are over 80 designs archived from the Dishcloth Boutique website I think I’ll be trying a few more new techniques. I particularly want to try the pattern for Yvonne’s Double Flower Cloth by Yvonne Hussey as I’ve never tried knitting flat in the round – plus it’s very pretty!

Also on my useful-and-pretty-things-to-knit-in-cotton list is a new bath mat. I still haven’t found a pattern I love, but as it’s essentially just a large rectangle I think I’ll just write up a pattern myself. I’ve been planning on making one for a while but I put it off when Woolwarehouse sold out of the special edition Drops Love You 5 aran weight recycled cotton I wanted to use. It’s not surprising that it sold out as it was priced at only 80p a 50g ball (less with a discount code!) but fortunately it is now back in stock! 🙂 So I bought a rainbow’s worth!

It seems good quality yarn, and the colours are just as bright as the non-recycled equivalent (Drops Paris) that I’ve used in the past. I’ll probably use two stands held together to make the bath mat so it’s nice and thick, but I’m hoping I’ll have enough left over to crochet something nice too (I’ve actually bought 5 balls of each of the eight colours in the picture, so I should have quite a lot left!). I might start the bath mat project once I’ve finished the baby blanket I have almost finished, assuming I don’t get sidetracked again!

I’ve got just another couple of things to mention before I round of this 100th post…

Firstly there’s the Hillarys Blinds Craft Competition. Unsurprisingly (considering the horrendous mess they made of it last year) I have not entered this year. They seem to have taken on board some of the issues I raised with them this time around, specifically concerning judging criteria (they’re actually going to read your blog entries this time!) but there are still some pretty substantial problems. However, as I am not personally taking part, and I don’t want to upset those who are enjoying the competition, I will reserve my comments until after the results are decided. Best of luck to those who have entered, but I think you are being taken advantage of.

Now, to end this post on a much happier note…

Remember the Daisy May dolly I made with the kit that came free with Let’s Knit Magazine?

Well, I posted her picture on the Let’s Knit Facebook page and promptly forgot all about it. So imagine my surprise when I picked up this months issue and saw this when I was flicking through the pages!